Lac Mau Fishing in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Mau falls in Lanaudière, part of Quebec. It stands 556 metres above sea level. The water covers some 14 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 1.7 km of margin, front to back. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Quebec listings. You are 38 km from Manawan. It is 200 km to Trois-Rivières, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Mau

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Lanaudière records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Lac Mau where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -16°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Lac Mau runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Lac Kakw is 1 km distant. For Lac Mau, the notice at the access point is the final word.